Family Ties William Shakespeare s King Lear - 1258 Words

Family Ties At the heart of the play King Lear by William Shakespeare lies the theme of the relationship between father and child. Lear and Cordelia’s relationship is strong and it is very different than the relationship between Lear, and Cordelia’s sisters, Goneril and Reagan. Lear and Cordelia have different views of what is important in the world, these different views is what ultimately causes their bond to break. The separation of Lear and Cordelia ultimately causes a rift in the play and conflict to occur. The theme of the relationship between a father and his child is also shown through the relationship of Gloucester and Edgar, his â€Å"legitimate† son. The power struggle between characters in King Lear causes the main conflict in the story as the bond between family is torn apart. Edgar and Gloucester’s relationship parallels Lear and Cordelia’s relationship. In both relationships, both fathers feel betrayed although they haven’t bee n betrayed as they have only received praise from their seemingly loyal children. Although perceived as loyal Regan, Goneril and Edmund all have different moral sensibilities in which they use to take advantage of Lear. Another similarity, is the fact that both fathers betray their loyal children, yet both Cordelia and Edgar stay devoted and loyal to their parents. Cordelia believes that love is shown through her loyalty and deeds to her father rather than pandering like her sisters. Cordelia tells that she cannot profess her love inShow MoreRelatedFemale Sexuality in Shakespeare4830 Words   |  20 PagesQuestion Compare and contrast the representation of female sexuality in Cymbeline, the Sonnets, and one of the plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure or King Lear.       Both Cymbeline and A Midsummer Night’s Dream  (AMND)  are both set in a patriarchal environment where both genders grapple for control. Valerie Traub defines the distinction between gender sex and gender behavior as â€Å"Sex refers to the . . . biological distinctions betweenRead MoreMacbeth9435 Words   |  38 PagesMacbeth From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about Shakespeare s play. For other uses, see  Macbeth (disambiguation). A poster for a  c.  1884 American production ofMacbeth, starring Thomas W. Keene. Depicted, counter clockwise from top-left, are: Macbeth and Banquo meet the  witches; just after the murder ofDuncan; Banquo s ghost; Macbeth duels Macduff; and Macbeth. Macbeth  is a play written by  William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies.